Remember the cost effective move to mechanical
banking? That ubiquitous ATM machine offering access to your money on every corner
and points in between.

How convenient. (said in my Church Lady voice)

Yes, very convenient, as
long as the ATM has not been tricked out by a scam artist to acquire your PIN number
and life savings. Yeah for the banks!
They revel, yet again, in record breaking profits, higher fees for transactions
and numerous jobs performed by humans - now eliminated.

Remember the efficient and cost effective move to
the MTA Metrocard?

The card, purchased from machines standing silent sentry in
subway halls eliminated many of the jobs human clerks performed at 24 hour train
stations. Now, if the machine is actually
operating, you are charged for the formerly free card when buying rides. And
now there’s no MTA human on site to monitor platform activity. No one to hear a
passenger’s cries protesting sexual assault or the incessant live accordion version
of Blurred Lines.

Isn’t it great and oh so time efficient having technology
at our beck and call? Addictive moment to moment pleasure sensations, triggered
by scores of daily exchanges with multiple devices, rendering real human
interaction superfluous. A truly advanced existence.

But what about those pesky passwords and PIN numbers
needed for every mechanical interface? And don’t forget the oft repeated
caveat, to change our secret codes daily to avoid virus dispensing hackers and
stolen credit card cartels. What’s the
solution?

Listen to your heart!?!!!?

To
be continued…

Rhonda Hansome is an actress, writer, director and stand-up comic. See her: